Friday, April 6, 2012

At the beginning of this year I decided it was time to focus and actually do something about my weight. It's no secret that I have a little bit of a weight problem...:) I have been consistently going to the gym for a long time but I didnt really do a good job with eating right. Apparently just because you work out doesnt mean you can eat whatever you want ?!? I gained about 20 lbs with in the last few months of 2011. (I'm afraid to think how much I would have gained had I not been exercising!)
To start things off Scott and I joined a "Biggest Loser" competition at the beginning of the year. (THANKS TAMMY!!) I was committed and wanted to see things change. Things were going good and had lost 20 lbs by the end of February, but I needed to do something more. It was time to set some short term goals. In March my goal was to really focus on exercise. That's where my new friend Jillian Michaels came in. I have had her 30 day shred DVD for a few years now. I think I tried it once and was so exhausted that I never wanted to do it again. This time it was different. I was committed and I had 30 days in March to focus on this before our contest was over. It was only 20 minutes a day, I can do it.....right. The DVD is broken down into three levels and typically you do each level for 10 days. Im not going to say it was easy, cause it WAS NOT! My body hurt pretty much every day and somedays I just wanted to turn it off. Some days I watched it without sound because I couldnt stand Jillians voice any longer (It didnt help that the one girl in the video who shows the "harder" moves was a Natalie and it frustrated me when Jillian would say "look at Natalie go" and I was struggling with the "harder" exercises) Some days I did it early in the morning and sometimes I procrastinated so long that I had to do it at 10pm at night. But I DID IT. 30 days in a row (including Saturdays and Sundays) and GUESS WHAT....... IT TOTALLY WORKED!!!

Here's My Results!﻿

My only regret is that I didnt take measurements before. I did loose 9 lbs in March and the most noticeable difference is in my stomach area. I feel great and I am so happy with the results. Im so proud of myself and that I actually achieved this goal. I did this for 30 days which for me, Is amazing (I dont have the greatest track record with these kind of goals).

I ended up coming in 4th for our Biggest Loser Competition and won $100. My weight loss journey is not over. I have a long way to go, but I am proud of where I am and wanted to share. My next goal is to train for our Young Women 5k fundraiser on May 12. My goal is to run the 5k in less than 40 minutes.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

I will probably say this every year but I cant believe that my little girl is 4 years old today! It seems like just yesterday we received the call that she had been born and we had a whirlwind weekend to get ready to bring her home. That was and will always be the weekend that made my life complete. Little Miss M is such a joy to have in our family. She is sweet & kind but also fiesty with a little spunk mixed in. She is the best thing in my life! I couldnt let this day go by without recognizing M's amazing Birth Mother for this wonderful blessing. Even 4 years later I marvel at her strength and courage.

We had a quick little photo shoot today before her birthday lunch at Spaghetti Factory. She was very specific about how long she would give me to take pictures. Thankfully we got some great shots!

This afternoon I asked M to list a few a her favorite things. It was so cute to hear her sweet innocent answers

What is your favorite color : PINK (She loves anything and everything pink... She is definately all girl!)

What is for favorite Toy: Strawberry Shortcake

What is your favorite fruit: Apples (She truely loves apples. She will grab a large apple and bite away at it until it's all gone)

Monday, December 5, 2011

December is finally here! We are ready for Christmas. Miss M is excited about everything! She loves the lights, the decorations, the music, and SANTA!

We have already done a lot of things to celebrate the season. I wanted to share some pictures of the fun we have had so far....

We attended the tree lighting ceremony at the Gateway. We have done this a couple of time and always enjoy it! There was great music, hot chocolate & cookies! We had so much fun, especially because Papa, Mimi, Aunt Wendy, Ben, Uncle Dee & Carter came along.

Thanksgiving was a blast this year. We went to Papa & Mimi's. The food was delicious! This year I made a lots of yummy treats. The highlight was the Mac & Cheese, the Toffee Pumpkin cheese cake and the Peanut Butter pie (This was a last minute idea, but it was oh so good!) To keep the kids busy this year they got to create their own Turkeys. The kids had so much fun personalizing their own Turkeys.

The day after Thanksgiving we attended The Grand America's tree lighting ceremony. We started this tradition last year and it was so fun, we decided to do it again. The Grand America is a beautiful hotel! They have a "scavenger hunt", where you look at their window displays, answer some questions and then get a yummy cookie at the end. They also served hot chocolate, which was delicious!

Miss M was all about the window displays. She has so much fun looking at each one!

Lastly, we celebrated tonight by attending the festivities at The Square at 2600. They had carriage rides, treats and SANTA. Miss M. was so excited to see the big guy, but then she got all shy when it came time to talk to him. That's okay, she whispered to him what she wanted for Christmas. This year all Miss M wants for Christmas is a Hairdryer!?! That girl is so funny. She has an idea in her head and thats all she can think about. We shall have to see what Santa brings her. Im pretty sure the big guy will deliver!

Wow, we have been busy and it's only the first week of December. We have lots more planned. This month is busy but we wouldnt have it any other way!!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

We have been having so much fun this last month. I love Fall and the weather has been BEAUTIFUL! We have been taking full advantage of these lovely days. Here are some of the highlights....

﻿﻿﻿﻿
﻿﻿First and foremost.....WE ARE OFFICIALLY POTTY TRAINED!!!!! This is such a monumental achievement in our household! Miss M resisted for a very long time and we were at our wits end with her, until her Daddy broke out the big bucks and offered her one dollar each time she went potty. Hello....that did the trick! I will be darned if that kid didn't go right in and go potty. Since that day she hasnt looked back! She has the strongest bladder and can hold it like nobody's business. She even stays dry through the night! Hip, Hip, HOORAY!!!

We have lots of "big girl panties" & in the beginning she liked to fold them all & look at them

Yes, that drink is Diet Coke. I was desperate & trying anything to get her to go on the Potty...Don't Judge!

We made another trip to DISNEYLAND! It was a special trip because, not only was part of my family there but Jo & Josh came with us. We had so much fun and did everything!! Miss M especially likes the Alice in Wonderland & The Little Mermaid Ride. (We rode each of them multiple times) She also is big enough to have her own seat for Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story. She loves to shoot the guns and is pretty good at hitting the targets on the ride. We watched the new Mickey parade and LOVED IT! We also watched Fantasmic! (My favorite show) We had such a wonderful time!

Their favorite part...The Maps!

Daddy even rode the roller coaster with Miss M. SHOCKING!!

Pretty as a princess!

"Unca Dee" & Aunt Wendy are Miss M's favorites

Joy School is going Awesome! Miss M LOVES school! She has so much fun and has made great new friends. We are so blessed to have such great families in our neighborhood! Last week we it was our first time to have Joy School at our house. The lessons this week were focused on feelings. The kids got to put faces on a pumpkin and then we carved the pumpkin together.

On Wednesday we hosted our Joy School Halloween Party. We had learned two songs on Monday and invited the parents to come and listen to the kids sing. It was so fun! We decorated sugar cookies, made a ghost, got dressed in costumes and paraded around! When the parents came the kids sang the songs. They were so cute, adorable and sung the songs PERFECTLY! As party favors, I made each child a mummy juice box, and a halloween candy man! I think I had more fun then the kids!

﻿﻿

Too Cute to SPOOK!!!

Well, there you have it, a quick (wink, wink) update. I have more but I will post sometime next week...Im tired and ready to go to bed...goodnight.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Wow! Where did summer go? I cant believe we are at the end of August. I have been sorely neglecting this blog. Where have I been? We have been BUSY. We have been swimming, Growing a garden, Playing outside, went to the Bountiful 24th of July Parade, went down to St George, saw The Little Mermaid at Tuacan, went to Girls Camp and got Miss M. ready for School!

Today Miss M. started Joy School! We are lucky that there are lots of kids in our neighborhood that are M's age and a bunch of us decided to do Joy School. (Basically a parent run pre-school) Pre-school is just so expensive and I wasnt sure how we would afford something like that, plus I wasnt ready to send M to pre-shool yet. Joy School works out perfectly. She goes twice a week and once a month we host it at our house. It works great. Miss M was so excited and ready to play and learn with her friends.

I just cant believe that my baby is big enough to go to school. We started a family tradition yesterday by having a special dinner and Family Home Evening last night. After we read scriptures, Scott gave M. a fathers blessing for the school year. I know lots of families do this and I love the tradition! I am very excited tostart it in our little family.

Today I took some pics of M. and wanted to document her "favs" right now, so I just listed them on the picture. The answers are hers. It was so cute when I asked her questions and she gave me the honest answers.

Lastly I have a confession: I finally caved and went to the darkside and got on FACEBOOK! I have been so opposed to facebook for the longest time and it was becoming more and more apparent that a person can't function in society without a facebook page! It's sad that this is what the world is coming to and now I am a part of it. (oh, I feel a little sick even typing this) I did set myself some rules though: I dont post "fluff" (I hate people that think they need to document every second of every day) and I wont ask anyone to be my friend. If you want to be my friend on FaceBook, you have to ask me. That's it! Oh and yeah, the main reason for joining FB is because I wanted to get on Pinterest. I am TOTALLY addicted to Pinterest! I LOVE it. If you are not on Pinterest you should be and if you want an invite just ask me and i will send one to you.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Have you ever seen those cool pics where people are making a shape or writing something with a sparkler?... No?....Well....I have and I wanted to figure out how to do it. Today while at the store I purchased some sparklers, called up my sisters, went to my parents and had lots of sparkler fun. It was a blast and we got some cool pics out it. We will most DEFINITELY be doing this again!!

Heidi did pretty good at writing her name

Wendy was a little nervous with Scott so close to her hair with a sparkler

Followers

Your Birthdate: May 29

You have the mind of an artist, even if you haven't developed the talent yet.
Expressive and aware, you enjoy finding new ways to share your feelings.
You often feel like you don't fit in - especially in traditional environments.
You have big dreams. The problem is putting those dreams into action.
Your strength: Your vivid imagination
Your weakness: Fear of failure
Your power color: Coral
Your power symbol: Oval
Your power month: November